How to teach kids about hydraulic systems

Written by laila alvarez

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Because of the generally low attention span of children, parents and teachers are having an increasingly difficult time teaching complicated and technological information. However, by having a strong knowledge of the subject yourself and by breaking up the information into sections, you'll have an easier time teaching kids about anything, including hydraulic systems.

Simply use some non-traditional and fun methods, along with the standard books and written information, to teach kids. You'll make the information easier to understand and more fun to learn.

Skill level:

Moderately Easy

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Things you need

Books on hydraulics

Internet access

Hydraulic example (such as a car)

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Instructions

1

Purchase books on hydraulic systems, such as hydraulic machinery. Read the books yourself to find which are more interesting and contain more valuable information. Take notes about hydraulic systems, focusing on the basics: how they work, what they are used for and why they are used. Make an outline using your notes as your baseline.

2

Use your outline to teach kids about hydraulic systems. Because children ask questions often throughout a lecture or class, keep the outline close by for reference at all time so that you can get back on track whenever you are thrown off by a question or comment from a student. Begin your class with a basic definition of hydraulics and proceed into how they are used. Use picture diagrams to demonstrate each section of your outline.

3

Use videos, either purchased or found online for free, to help demonstrate your lessons. Use videos of actual hydraulics machinery (such as cars and construction machines), as well as tutorial videos of people with cylinders of water demonstrating how liquid can force movement.

Vary written notes with the videos to tell the children of the basic rules and ways of hydraulic systems to break up the time in segments. Have them take notes so that they retain more of the information.

4

Create your own tutorials to demonstrate in the classroom or one-on-one with a child. Use demonstrations that are easy for children to understand, such as showing the difference in pressure and pumping between a one-inch cylinder and a five-inch cylinder filled with liquid.

Ensure that safety is your number one concern with demonstrations, but do let children get hands-on if it's appropriate to do so. Talk to the children in a step-by-step manner during the demonstration so that they completely grasp what exactly is happening. Also, have them take notes so they remember any necessary info.

5

Take the children to a speciality mechanic shop where hydraulics are added to cars. Remember to keep safety in mind always, but also know that showing the kids a real-life example of hydraulics will help them further understand what they are and how they are used.

Have a list of questions ready for a mechanic who will be able to tell the children how hydraulics work in cars and other machines. Have the children take notes during the outing and then later in class, go over everything that was said and done at the mechanic's shop.

Tips and warnings

Have your detailed outline ready, including any videos or diagrams you want to show, and next to you at all times during your teaching so that you'll never get completely off track. You always want to keep the students attentive and focused on what you're teaching.

Ensure that you have parental consent and take all safety precautions necessary for any day trips or demonstrations.